The present disclosure relates to treatment of oral diseases and, more specifically, to devices and methods for treating oral biofilm composed of microbial components including bacterial, fungal, and viral components that can result in periodontal disease.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Presently, dental trays are used to deliver selected medications for treating multiple oral conditions including periodontal conditions of the teeth and gums. These trays provide for the application of medicaments in close proximity to the teeth and gums such that the medicaments placed in the chamber of the tray are in contact with the selected tissues and/or infected gums. The trays must be placed on the teeth and gums for a sufficient period of time to maintain the medicaments in their proximity to the oral biofilm within the gums and tissues so that the medications can penetrate the biofilm with an expectation that the proximate positioning of the medicament will make direct contact therewith to begin the modification of the micro-environment. This often requires a number of repeated applications in order to adequately penetrate the biofilm as the proximate position of the medication with the biofilm may not always make the direct contact that is required. Repeated applications of the current proximate positioning trays must be applied to penetrate the biofilm and thereby control the microbial pathogens that cause the inflammatory conditions resulting in an infection in the host.
In some situations, current medicament delivery trays may not ensure that the medicament is delivered directly to the biofilm, but in some patient situations only place the medicament in close proximity to where the biofilm should be located. Current methods may not be able to therefore adequately modify the localized environment, such as altering the environment from one conducive to disease to one conducive to health and healing and/or the ability to manage and maintain such an environment one established. As such, there is a need for a device and method for improving the likelihood in some patient situations that the medicaments are applied directly to the biofilm to be treated, and that such direct application provides if for an ensured period of time for each use of the device and application of the treatment method.